asahi | Finance Minister Taro Aso’s comment about the Nazis in connection
with debate on constitutional revision has caused wide repercussions.
On Aug. 1, Aso retracted his remark, saying “(it) has caused
misunderstanding of my real intentions.” But he has not made a clear
apology and continues to avoid explaining the essence of his remark.
In Europe and the United States, if Cabinet ministers make
remarks that can be construed as being positive about the Nazis, their
jobs would be immediately put on the line. Aso, who served as prime
minister and foreign minister and currently doubles as deputy prime
minister, is a heavyweight in the administration of Shinzo Abe.
Aso’s remark not only hurt people who can never forget the
Holocaust and are trying to overcome that history of aggression, but it
also caused great misunderstanding about Japanese attitudes toward
history in the international community. His responsibility is grave.
At a symposium on July 29, Aso said he doesn’t want debate on
Japan’s constitutional revision to be held “amid a frenzy.” He stated:
“One day, (the Germans) found that the Weimar Constitution was changed
to the Nazi Constitution. It was changed without being noticed by
anyone. Why don’t we learn from that technique?”
If we take his remark at face value, we have no choice but to
think he wants Japan to learn from the Nazi example. There is also a
problem with his recognition of facts.
Adolf Hitler used his charismatic oratory to incite the
German people and rose to power amid a frenzy. Once he became
chancellor, he enacted the Enabling Act that gave the government the
power to create laws without the consent of the parliament. As a result,
the Weimar Constitution effectively ceased. But that does not mean a
“Nazi Constitution” was established.
Either way, such a thing as changing the Constitution without
anyone noticing must never be tolerated. Moreover, Aso’s comment about
Hitler and the implication that his example should be followed are
utterly unacceptable. The remark is not something that Aso can get away
with by simply retracting it.
In Germany at the time, frequent issuance of emergency
presidential directives caused the emasculation of the parliament and
gave rise to Nazi dictatorship, which led to numerous calamities. There
is no way anyone who understands the history of how constitutionalism
was rendered toothless can thoughtlessly make reference to the Nazis in
discussing constitutional affairs.
